They Come at Night

Overview

In 1986 Los Angeles, an undocumented immigrant, portrayed by Elpidia Carrillo, grapples with the trauma of her past in El Salvador, where she lost her husband and her two children. Once a teacher with a philosophy degree, she now endures a life of menial jobs in a roach-infested apartment. Her plight catches the attention of a caseworker, played by Barbara Williams, who is navigating her own struggles as a recently divorced single mother. The two women forge a bond, and the caseworker commits to helping the immigrant locate her children, discovering they are in Mexico and can be smuggled into the U.S. for a steep price.